Estheticians &

Viruses

A guide for estheticians to stay healthy and prevent the spread of diseases

SKYLARK MEDICAL CLINIC

264 Tache Ave.

Winnipeg, MB R2H 1Z9

ph: 453-9107 fax: 453-9115

Estheticians work closely with their clients, performing services that have the potential to spread HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C.

Proper cleaning of tools and effective personal protection can eliminate the risk of these infections.

Protective measures ensure the safety of the esthetician and clients, and help secure the success of the business.

Keeping professional standards of hygiene and environment is essential in the esthetic profession.

Personal and Client Protection

Simple precautions stop the spread of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.

Handwashing

Estheticians should wash their hands frequently with warm water and soap, especially before and after contact with clients, before eating, before handling sterile equipment, before and after putting on sterile gloves, and after leaving a restroom or blowing their nose.

Sometimes people do a quick job of washing and don't clean their hands completely. Remember to soap and scrub the fingertips since we often touch and grasp with our finger pads. Missing this area can lead to more infections.

Wearing Gloves

Surgical latex (or latex-free for those with allergies) gloves should be worn by an esthetician when there is the potential to come in contact with a clients blood or body fluids (eg. doing piercings or tattoos).

Used gloves must be discarded and must never be reused for other clients.

Sterilizing Equipment

Hepatitis B and C can exist outside the body on inanimate objects so it is best to use some types of equipment only once and then thrown them away in a sharps container. This includes disposable piercing needles.

Other non-disposable equipment -nail clippers, emery boards, tweezers and cuticle cutter/pushers must be sterilized after each use.

An autoclave uses steam, heat and pressure to sterilize sharps.

Instruments should also be rinsed washed with detergent and dried prior to sterilization as this removes blood, dirt and dust first.

After sterilization instruments should be kept in a clean dry place until use.

Maintain Clean Work Areas

Work areas should be kept clean and separate from where sterilized equipment is stored.

To prepare for clients the esthetician should put on gloves and set out all the sterile equipment and accessories.

After procedures immediately clean the area and remove used equipment.

If a blood spill occurs, the contaminated area should be wiped with disposable towels and washed with adequate disinfection.

Bleach and water (in a 1 to 10 ratio) may be used but be certain the bleach has not expired. Always use gloves when cleaning blood spills.

Disposal of Materials

Sharp objects like needles should always be placed in approved sharps containers.

It is recommended not to overfill a sharps container (usually use only up to 2/3 of its capacity). Overfilling a sharps container may lead to an inadvertent needle poke by someone else later on who is handling the container.Gloves, cotton swabs, or towels used to clean up blood or fluids should be put into a plastic bag, which is then tied and thrown into the garbage.

Immunization

Immunizations exist for hepatitis A and B but not for hepatitis C or HIV.

Estheticians should consider immunization and keep their records of immunization up to date.

Cuts at Work

Minor cuts may be cleaned with running fresh water should be bandaged before return to work.

The Risks of Unclean Instruments

Hepatitis B

This disease is caused by a virus within infected blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and saliva. Hepatitis B causes liver damage and leads to long-term disease, liver cancer or death.

There is a vaccine to prevent Hepatitis B and treatments for infected people.

Hepatitis C

This disease is transmitted by infected blood and leads to liver disease and liver cancer. There is no Hepatitis C vaccine (yet) although early treatment for infections exists.

Human Immune-Deficiency virus (HIV) causes AIDS (Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome). People with HIV and AIDS have many infections and illnesses. There are no vaccines or cure for HIV infections but some medications will help people live longer.

Acknowledgements

This brochure was referenced from:

•  HIV Edmonton – www.hivedmonton.com

•  Canadian Liver Society

•  Skylark Medical Clinic- www.skylarkmedicalclinic.com

Compiled G. Podolsky (2006) © Skylark Medical Clinic

264 Tache Ave. R2H 1Z9 ph: 453-9107 fax: 453-9115

Website: www.skylarkmedicalclinic.com